So you guys that have the NavVI's media player working correctly, are you controlling your phone's music via the Nav VI or on the phone's touchscreen?

I've got everything paired as Tom does except for that last step, but I don't think that's my problem. I can access the iphone's library through the GPS'
media player after switching it to iphone, select an album or playlist, begin listening to music with everything working correctly up to that point. But then that's it - after the initial selection the touchscreen on the GPS doesn't function. The music from phone continues to play down the playlist, but I can't stop/start/change songs/playlists, etc. If I switch the media player back to mp3, everything works perfectly but I'm pretty much back to the NavV - converting to mp3, then saving to the GPS. Garmin said they were aware of the problem and were working on it. I checked with them a week or so ago and said they hadn't heard back from engineering yet.

So you guys that have the NavVI's media player working correctly, are you controlling your phone's music via the Nav VI or on the phone's touchscreen?

I've got everything paired as Tom does except for that last step, but I don't think that's my problem. I can access the iphone's library through the GPS'
media player after switching it to iphone, select an album or playlist, begin listening to music with everything working correctly up to that point. But then that's it - after the initial selection the touchscreen on the GPS doesn't function. The music from phone continues to play down the playlist, but I can't stop/start/change songs/playlists, etc. If I switch the media player back to mp3, everything works perfectly but I'm pretty much back to the NavV - converting to mp3, then saving to the GPS. Garmin said they were aware of the problem and were working on it. I checked with them a week or so ago and said they hadn't heard back from engineering yet.

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I double checked and no, I can't control play list on iPhone with Nav VI or W-Wheel. I do not remember reading anywhere where a claim was made that you could do this. I clearly understood that you could stream music from your cell phone - IHeart, etc.... So more stuff for them to improve upon.

I double checked and no, I can't control play list on iPhone with Nav VI or W-Wheel. I do not remember reading anywhere where a claim was made that you could do this. I clearly understood that you could stream music from your cell phone - IHeart, etc.... So more stuff for them to improve upon.

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They've got it detailed in their online manual. If you go to media player on the gps, top button I think, you have the option to switch the media player to iphone. From there, it takes you back to the Nav VI media player screen, but instead of looking at your saved .mp3's on the gps you're looking at the library on your phone. Some haven't gotten this far, the phone library won't load. But if you get this far (I did after a few tries) you can toggle through your phone's music, and see your phone's playlists. Everything works good up to this point, but after making your first selection (album, song, playlist, etc) the functionality stops. You have the same on-screen buttons as the .mp3 player (same as on the Nav V), but the buttons don't work - you can't stop/skip etc. I'm pretty sure it's a software issue, so hopefully it's solvable. Garmin says they're working on it. The OP's first post is the first news I've heard that they have it solved though.

But good to know that the streaming function is working via the phone screen, thanks. And I think that's the only way something like Pandora or iHeart Radio will work as I don't believe there's anything on the Nav for control of streaming apps.

I have been a Garmin user since year 2000 and find their products to be very reliable. Of course, the reality is that these units are simply a tool and you need to know how the tool thinks in order to best use them to your advantage. Sometimes, you need to do a "work-around" to make it fit your specific use for navigating or to enjoy any of the other functions you like. I talk to many folks in depth about how they use their GPS's and am amazed at the various levels of understanding of the technology and the various levels of expertise in how one uses Nav Tool. Specific conversations about the units are difficult because each of us uses it in a very personal way.

I am currently enjoying an incredibly flawless experience with my Nav VI, SENA 20S and iPhone 6. I can stream from iPhone, I can enjoy MP3 from the Nav VI, I can enjoy crystal clear phone conversations, I can even hear the annoying Nav directions if I wanted to. Yes, I am disappointed about some of the Apps like Tracker for example but I realize that these are a work in progress and Garmin will eventually get it right. If you don't like it, you could always go to TomTom.

May I suggest that your pairing sequence could be the issue with your equipment set-up. Very easy to introduce conflicts into Bluetooth communications when you are using multiple devices. Check out Richard Battles YouTube videos for a summary of EXACTLY how you must pair all of your devices and in what sequence or maybe just give him a call. He's very helpful. I'm certainly no expert but mine is working great and in general, this is what I did:
1) make sure ALL devices are cleared of ALL previous pairings (un-pair ALL devices.)
2) Do a factory reset on SENA 20S (you may have to go in and re-set things like Audio boost, FM stations, and other misc. settings, etc. on your SENA 20S after you do the Factory Reset (its good to do this anyway as SENA seems to have regular firmware upgrades and now you are sure your're up do date))
3) Pair your SENA 20S with Nav VI using A2DP Stereo communication (pair using the phone button on 20S)
4) Pair iPhone with Nav VI.
5) Pair SENA 20S with Nav VI using HFP (Multi-Point Paring using the jog button on 20S for pairing.)
Hope this helps.

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Your steps 3 + 5 are they a typo? You cannot pair the Sena 20s twice with the same device.

But I did get the media player working. Forgot any bluetooth devices on my iPhone 7+ with iOS 10.3.2. I did a firmware update of the 20s to v1.7.5 (I was previously at v1.7.3) then performed a factory reset. I performed a factory reset on the GPS by holding down the bottom right corner of the screen while turning it on until it said "Loading" then it reset on its own and was fully reset.

1) Paired the Sena 20s using A2DP stereo music only , page 19 in the Sena 20s manual, section 6.1. Did the pairing through the Nav VI screens.
2) Paired the iPhone with the Nav VI. Went to the iPhone bluetooth settings. Then went to the Nav VI bluetooth settings. Paired phone.
3) Trying to perform #5, I assumed that was section 6.2 in the Sena manual, but when I put it in that mode, the first sena pairing disconnects and nothing ever shows up on the Nav VI when scanning for devices.

After that failed, I went to the Media player and it worked! Previous/Next/Play/Pause, scrubbing, browse.

But now phone calls and navigation do not work.

Going to try a few other of the pairing settings I guess. At least I was able to get media player to work at all.. progress I guess.

Your steps 3 + 5 are they a typo? You cannot pair the Sena 20s twice with the same device.

But I did get the media player working. Forgot any bluetooth devices on my iPhone 7+ with iOS 10.3.2. I did a firmware update of the 20s to v1.7.5 (I was previously at v1.7.3) then performed a factory reset. I performed a factory reset on the GPS by holding down the bottom right corner of the screen while turning it on until it said "Loading" then it reset on its own and was fully reset.

1) Paired the Sena 20s using A2DP stereo music only , page 19 in the Sena 20s manual, section 6.1. Did the pairing through the Nav VI screens.
2) Paired the iPhone with the Nav VI. Went to the iPhone bluetooth settings. Then went to the Nav VI bluetooth settings. Paired phone.
3) Trying to perform #5, I assumed that was section 6.2 in the Sena manual, but when I put it in that mode, the first sena pairing disconnects and nothing ever shows up on the Nav VI when scanning for devices.

After that failed, I went to the Media player and it worked! Previous/Next/Play/Pause, scrubbing, browse.

But now phone calls and navigation do not work.

Going to try a few other of the pairing settings I guess. At least I was able to get media player to work at all.. progress I guess.

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I would also note my media player is in "MP3" mode, not iPhone or iPod mode or Bluetooth. I know, the opposite of what you would think...

It also only works with Apple Music, not Spotify, etc. which I don't think anything implied that spotify controls would work. It would be nice to have a Spotify App on the Garmin though.

Probably just going to pair my iPhone directly to the Sena for easier Spotify listening and pair the Sena to the GPS via HFP for directions and leave it at that. I got too use to Spotify in the truck with Sync 3 app.

I was able to use Siri by pressing the home button on my phone and speaking through the Sena 20s microphone.
I was able to use Spotify over bluetooth to the Sena 20s. Basic forward and back worked on the jog wheel, volume, play/pause.
I was able to hear GPS directions when routing. The GPS acts as a second phone, so it paused the audio on my iPhone, announced the directions, then unpaused the phone music.

Then to my surprise, I went to media player, its still on the "MP3" mode from the factory reset and I was able to browse my Apple Music, play/pause, prev/next. It paused the bluetooth music on my phone and played the Apple Music. When I stopped the media player, it resumed the bluetooth music from my phone (which was on Spotify at the time).

The only odd behavior I saw was this. If I wanted directions on the screen, but wanted to mute the direction voice prompts, I went to the navigation settings and hit the "Mute" option. Now when the GPS wanted to give me directions, instead of doing nothing and leaving the music playing, it paused the music, there was silence, but the GPS still took over the Sena and would never unpause the music. Which seems like a bug. Sometimes the GPS directions are just too much, sucks that you can't mute it properly while leaving your primary A2DP music source going.

They've got it detailed in their online manual. If you go to media player on the gps, top button I think, you have the option to switch the media player to iphone. From there, it takes you back to the Nav VI media player screen, but instead of looking at your saved .mp3's on the gps you're looking at the library on your phone. Some haven't gotten this far, the phone library won't load. But if you get this far (I did after a few tries) you can toggle through your phone's music, and see your phone's playlists. Everything works good up to this point, but after making your first selection (album, song, playlist, etc) the functionality stops. You have the same on-screen buttons as the .mp3 player (same as on the Nav V), but the buttons don't work - you can't stop/skip etc. I'm pretty sure it's a software issue, so hopefully it's solvable. Garmin says they're working on it. The OP's first post is the first news I've heard that they have it solved though.

But good to know that the streaming function is working via the phone screen, thanks. And I think that's the only way something like Pandora or iHeart Radio will work as I don't believe there's anything on the Nav for control of streaming apps.

Your steps 3 + 5 are they a typo? You cannot pair the Sena 20s twice with the same device.

But I did get the media player working. Forgot any bluetooth devices on my iPhone 7+ with iOS 10.3.2. I did a firmware update of the 20s to v1.7.5 (I was previously at v1.7.3) then performed a factory reset. I performed a factory reset on the GPS by holding down the bottom right corner of the screen while turning it on until it said "Loading" then it reset on its own and was fully reset.

1) Paired the Sena 20s using A2DP stereo music only , page 19 in the Sena 20s manual, section 6.1. Did the pairing through the Nav VI screens.
2) Paired the iPhone with the Nav VI. Went to the iPhone bluetooth settings. Then went to the Nav VI bluetooth settings. Paired phone.
3) Trying to perform #5, I assumed that was section 6.2 in the Sena manual, but when I put it in that mode, the first sena pairing disconnects and nothing ever shows up on the Nav VI when scanning for devices.

After that failed, I went to the Media player and it worked! Previous/Next/Play/Pause, scrubbing, browse.

But now phone calls and navigation do not work.

Going to try a few other of the pairing settings I guess. At least I was able to get media player to work at all.. progress I guess.

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No Typo. you do pair the Sena 20S twice to the same device. it is multi-point pairing. one for A2DP and the other for HFP for your phone and nav voice function.

Actually, once they fix the damn media app, you will be able to control music even if your main stereo connection is between Sena and your phone. Or you could just pair everything to the Nav6 as a hub, though currently when I tried that I got choppy playback (not to mention the controls not working) and switched back to phone-headset for music, phone-garmin, garmin-headset. At least this way you have the ability to use Senas buttons to skip tracks.

The state of the whole thing is a bit sad right now. Apart from the media issues - the live traffic and weather features tend to go haywire too. It literally pops up a traffic alert icons at every intersection when there is no traffic issue. The Garmin app won't let you transfer a point from Google Maps unless you manually copy the GPS coordinates somehow. Having the ability to send a map point from phone to Nav is critically important these days.

Eh, well, just gotta wait until they fix the media issues. I'd kill for a Spotify app too.

Fwiw, I emailed garmin asking about a firmware update and also griped about their zumo offering being more capable than the higher priced BMW nav6 and politely asked that they offer those features to us

However your solution is not optimum since it does not flow the phone through the Nav... and I want my phone connected to the Nav.

After sitting down, and trying multiple modes and methodologies... I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!!!! And I had it working... 100% completely... and then, when writing this down, I tried to replicate it and it did not work. WTF??? So flake-eeeeeeeee.........

I have spent three hours trying to get it to go again... so, from what I can tell... it is so buggy that I have drawn down my battery in my NavVI... I give up.

The Devices are as in the quotes above... (and I did the NavVI reset, and the Sena 20S reset) blah blah blah...

I took notes... wrote it down... then it worked... then... it did not... and would not... what junk.

I did this at my table, not on the bike... no wonderwheel for you to consider...

So- all the devices as listed, reset and fresh:

So, yea, done with this bunch of crap from BMW... stole $1000 from me + the cost of my maps. Who wants it? I am getting a Zumo FFS. What a waste of money, time, and maps.

However your solution is not optimum since it does not flow the phone through the Nav... and I want my phone connected to the Nav.

After sitting down, and trying multiple modes and methodologies... I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!!!! And I had it working... 100% completely... and then, when writing this down, I tried to replicate it and it did not work. WTF??? So flake-eeeeeeeee.........

I have spent three hours trying to get it to go again... so, from what I can tell... it is so buggy that I have drawn down my battery in my NavVI... I give up.

The Devices are as in the quotes above... (and I did the NavVI reset, and the Sena 20S reset) blah blah blah...

I took notes... wrote it down... then it worked... then... it did not... and would not... what junk.

I did this at my table, not on the bike... no wonderwheel for you to consider...

So- all the devices as listed, reset and fresh:

So, yea, done with this bunch of crap from BMW... stole $1000 from me + the cost of my maps. Who wants it? I am getting a Zumo FFS. What a waste of money, time, and maps.

clever ? nah, it's pretty easy to see which device is causing the failure is in the pairing sequence. since it isn't needed for navigation or music, just eliminate it and enjoy the ride , less complicated.

This forum is full of people who insist on replying to threads with less than helpful comments when someone is trying to solve an issue. Just ignore.

I personally like the garmin for navigation, as the maps are offline (can do it with the phone with other apps that get terrible ratings). Don't get me wrong, Garmin frustrates me sometimes, but on a long trip, just did Boulder, CO to Glacier National Park and back, and many many back roads with no cell service, etc, Garmin was helpful.

I just wish it worked as advertised. Sucks that it doesn't. Especially with the BMW Navigator up-charge. Maybe by the time the Nav VII is out the Nav V will work flawlessly :)